Has anyone seen the new Purex 3-in-1 detergent commercial?  I saw it for the first time last night and thought it was the most ridiculous commercial I have seen.  First of all, how does throwing in a sheet versus spending 2 seconds to drop detergent into a cup make your day a "1,000 times better".  After explaining what the sheet does, the woman saying "no more measuring" like this is the most brilliant invention of this year.  

Secondly, they end the commercial with the woman saying "now, if only they could fold these" and holding up a baby onesie.  If you find it so difficult to pour detergent into a cup and then the washing machine, then you should probably not be raising a child.  Maybe Purex wants to rethink their marketing campaign instead of portraying women/mothers and people who spend too many hours figuring out how to measure detergent!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNL90ujlCMs

Status Stories

Brands have been telling their stories for decades now. Typically, in a mass-advertising, mass-branding world, the 'telling' has involved reaching and impressing as many consumers as possible. Those who literally bought into these storied brands then gained the respect and admiration of other brand-exposed consumers. 

Example: if you're Jaguar, and your (expensive) story is about old money with a dollop of English eccentricity and the whole world is aware of this, then consumers craving recognition from anyone impressed with this kind of lifestyle only need to buy one of your cars to bask in the glow of their peers' admiration. Much of the current market research completed today is based on this idea of the brand story.  For instance, Country Squires tend to drive Jaguars because they are status symbols and gain them access to the social club.  However, while well-known, storied and very visible STATUS SYMBOLS will continue to dominate consumer societies for years to come, they will face increasing competition from STATUS STORIES: As more brands go niche and therefore tell stories that aren't known to the masses, and as experiences and non-consumption-related expenditures take over from physical status symbols, consumers will increasingly have to tell each other stories to achieve a status dividend from their purchases. Expect a shift from brands telling a story, to brands helping consumers tell status-yielding stories to other consumers.  

These types of experience are rapidly increasing as guerrilla and mobile retail are gaining popularity.  For instance, major newspapers have recently caught onto Kogi Korean BBQ which sells their tacos out of trucks in LA. Fans get location updates via Twitter & usually 100s of followers are waiting when the trucks pull up.  Another example is the ever-growing in popularity Treat Truck in New York.


Status Stories: Why Now?

STATUS STORIES are an answer to some of the major shifts and trends taking place in the consumption arena, from uniqueness, to visibility, to ‘alternative status sources': 

No longer do consumers want to be like the Joneses, the Mullers or the Li’s. When individuality rules and conformity is frowned upon, owning something no one else has is hot. The ‘mass’ that consumers are willing to put up with is either the stuff they don't really care about—and can get on the cheap at the Wal-Marts and Aldis of this world—and some remaining objects of mass desire like the iPhone or the Mini Cooper. However, even these are likely to be customized and personalized the moment they leave the warehouse, website or store. 

This consumption trend accounts is pushing the hand-made, artisanal and local markets.  Many designers are custom making fashion piece or designing limited edition items.  These one-of-a-kind items are  often the most have pieces of the season and consumers are willing to dish out the cash for the luxury of having one.

The shift from mass to unique explains the surge in niche or even one-of-a-kind products and services. So brands will increasingly not want to, or will not be able (if only for financial reasons) to tell their story to the masses. Which in turn means that consumers buying from these brands will no longer be able to rely on the product or service to provide them with that instant recognition and admiration from their peers. It is thus up to the customer to tell a story, any kind of story, with the brand providing the ingredients. 

Besides the shift from mass to uniqueness, mature/prosperous consumers now predominantly live in experience economies. Experiences not only are inherently more unique, they also do a better job of providing instant gratification: they’re often more affordable, and thus more numerous than old-world status symbols. 

More Barbie Info

So I have received several emails stating that apparently Barbie is the new "it" girl in the fashion world.  Here is some more information of la femme du jour.

Barbie turn 50, hits New York Fashion Week and then Paris!

At New York's Fashion week Barbie invited fashion’s finest and the little ladies in their lives to a chic fashion show in celebration of her 50th Birthday. Though it seems she hasn’t aged at all, 50 designers created unique looks for the timeless icon. Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Kenneth Cole, Marchesa, Diane von Furstenberg, Alexander Wang, Derek Lam, Badgley Mischka and Catherine Malandrino, many of whom have collaborated with Mattel on outfits in the past, were among those whose looks hit the runway on live bombshells. “I had a Barbie before I had a G.I. Joe,” noted Wang. Malandrino, who sat front row, was elated to see her flag dress hit the pink runway. “The flag is the ultimate dress for the most famous American icon,” she said. “Barbie is a glamour icon with an endless wardrobe, a dream house and lots of cute friends. What’s not to love?,” asked Peter Som.

The finale left the audience overjoyed as adorable little girls, including Kimora Lee Simmons’ daughters Ming and Aoki, escorted the models in big colorful tutus and Barbie tanks as heart shaped confetti fell from the sky. Ken even left guests with a Valentine on their seats. Isn’t he a doll? It seems Barbie is this season’s must have accessory. Now if only a pink corvette were waiting outside to whisk us away! ~Nola Weinstein

Barbie Goes to Fashion Week
By Intern Katy, 9:45 AM on Tue Dec 23 2008, 2,409 views 

Designer Jeremy Scott has announced that he plans to send a Barbie-inspired collection down the Paris Fashion Week runways this spring.

Scott's line is set to debut March 12th at Colette, and will be available to Americans in the middle of February. The iconic plastic doll is also having an entire fashion show dedicated to her in New York, which Jeremy Scott is contributing to. And! Mattel just announced their sponsorship of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. If the fashion trickle-down theory is correct, it looks like we will all be wearing hot pink dresses with matching heels next year.

Ken Lagerfeld and Barbie at Colette
Mar 04, 2009 @ 9:43am

If you were wondering exactly how Barbie fever would hit Paris Fashion Week (other than the parties), wonder no more:

Starting March 9th through March 28th, the windows of Colette will be an homage to Barbie and Ken, as designed by Karl Lagerfeld. 

Ken will be played by model Baptiste Giabiconi, and Barbie wears everything from a poufy wedding gown to a cocktail dress to a Chanel suit. 

Obviously.

Barbie Goes To China

The toymaker Mattel is facing dwindling sales in the U.S., as little girls no longer aspire to look like Barbie, an embodiment of perfection that no longer fits our national consciousness. The edgier and less perfect Bratz dolls have become a popular alternative, and they've taken away Barbie's spotlight. 

But Barbie has decided not to roll over and rely on beating Bratz in court. On Barbie's 50 birthday, Mattel opened up a $30 million, six-story Barbie lifestyle store in Shanghai--complete with a spa where mothers can get their nails done with their daughters, a café and bar and racks of Barbie clothing.  Additionally, Barbie has developed her own cosmetics line labeled Plastic Smooth.  

Not only is Barbie moving into a new region where girls don't really know who she is, but Mattel is expanding its core market to include not only little girls but also club-age young women. Rather than rely wholly on children or mothers who grew up playing with the dolls, Mattel is also targeting twenty-somethings by offering a line of clothing by Patricia Fields, the Sex and the City designer. 

For younger girls, the store offers a catwalk on which they can model Barbie-esque clothes and assistants to teach them how to sing and dance to the Barbie Girl song.

The man who has spearheaded the project for Mattel, Richard Dickson, says his favourite feature is the Pink Tunnel, a neon-lit escalator that hums with the recorded sound of giggling girls.

The store boasts a cafe and a bar called the Pink Room, complete with karaoke, a DJ and pink martinis. "Barbies want to talk to Kens — you have to have a place for that," says food manager Hayes Zhou.

For older women, Mattel has commissioned New York-based fashion designer Vera Wang to come up with a $A22,000 wedding dress.  This is not the first time we have seen women gravitate towards childhood favorite characters for weddings.  Disney launched their Princess wedding dress collection a few years ago with dresses modeled after gowns worn by Disney Princess such as Aurora, Cinderella, Snow White and Ariel.  

The idea: Barbie is no longer just a doll. She's a lifestyle. That may be harder for Americans to accept since our image of her is so firmly ingrained. In China, she is a newcomer unburdened by generations of familiarity, and Mattel has a chance to create a new consumer perception of what she means. 

The Barbie Store idea is a combination of American Girl PlaceClub Libby Lu.  Instead of tea parties you get facials, and Hannah Montana is replaced by Barbie.  Although these two stores tend to appeal more to the pre-teen/tween age groups and Barbie Store is targeting 20 somethings as well with their spa, cocktails and fashion.

It remains to be seen whether Chinese consumers will warm to the idea and whether Barbie can fit in there. What kind of food does Barbie eat in her cafe? What kind of food would she eat in China? But Mattel should be given credit for innovating and taking a calculated risk in a down market.

Portions taken from Shaun Rein

The Micro-Sociology of Network

Below is a PowerPoint by David Armano.  It is very interesting in its analysis of social media.  The current recession will only strenghten social media as more business use the networks as a source of free advertisement and to solidify their networks in the wake of lost projects and cancelled conferences/conventions.

How do you use social media/networking and has it changed with the downturn of the economy?

The Micro-Sociology of Networks

View more presentations from David Armano.

Junk Mail Junked - The one bright spot of recession.

I have finally found a bright spot in these financial hard times. Direct mail is in the tank. My mailbox is less cluttered, trees feel safer and my mailman is walking a little straighter.

The most recent report by Mintel Comperemedia reports that nearly all the major Direct Mail categories are down. Some of the categories such as Credit Cards (-22%) or Mortgage Loans (-39%) are face down in the dirt.  

Growth/decline in direct-mail volume in 2008

Telecommunications               9.6%
Insurance                                 4.6%
Banking                                   -1.3%
Investments                           -4.2%
Travel/Leisure                      -4.7%
Automotive                            -9.4%
Technology                            -16.6%
Credit Cards                          -21.8%
Mortgage and Loans             -38.8%

Source: Mintel Comperemedia

Traditionally, declines in Direct Mail are a leading indicator of bad financial times. And, you’d expect that the flow of junk mail will rebound quickly as the economy re-starts.

But, it will be interesting to see if Direct Mail every recovers to its former heights. Direct mail has been astoundingly resiliant in the face of a media market that has brought newspapers and other advertisers to their knees. Will direct mail ever recover or will advertisers use this break as an opportunity to explore new advertising opportunities? Direct Mail has outlasted many predictions of its demise. But eventually, don’t you think it has to die? It just seems so last century.

Let me know what you think. Do you believe Direct Mail is on its way out or on its way back?

Bad times bring out the worst in advertising.

As we all know, advertising revenues are down. Print, TV, Radio, Online. All down. So, media companies are looking everywhere to fill that void. So if traditional advertisers are down, what’s going up?

Porn

Cable companies may be raising their subscription rates - but apparently they’re starting to lower the cost of On-Demand-Porn channels. In addition, they’re starting to promote these services on ESPN and Spike TV.

Liquor

You may not have noticed, but major networks are loosening their rules on hard liquor advertising. Wine and beer have been allowed for years, but hard liquor has been a no-no. Absolut vodka ads were carried on the Grammy Awards. The first time in years that liquor ads ran in prime time.

Scene from Absolut TV spot

Gambling

Las Vegas may be in a recession, but spending by some local casinos is up. People appear to be looking for some diversions or get-rich-fast schemes during hard times. 

 
Diets

 “Belly fat” and “First Flat Stomach Rule” web ads suddenly seem like they’re coming out of the woodwork. Its not that they’re new; it’s just that websites in the past would have turned down this type of ad. But with revenues down they’re opening their doors to all kinds of low-end direct response ads and even pop-ups are coming back.

So, until the economy gets rolling again, we can all expect to see the worst of advertising, rather than the cream, rising to the top.